His laws

The following is my take only – the Gospel according to Ray:

which “laws” do you think are necessary for becoming like Him?

The ones that deal with internalizing love, including some that aren’t obvious at first glance. Probably not much else.

Do simply all LDS policies, rules, etc. fall into that camp?

Abso-freaking-lutely not – and I guarantee there is unanimity in the top leadership of the LDS Church with that answer.

Are some laws more important to keep than others if we are to become like Him? If so, which ones?

See my first response. (Wow, that was easy.)

Which laws from God (as defined by the LDS church) have unintended consequences, and when (if ever) do those unintended consequences outweigh the benefits?

All laws have extraneous consequences, some that are not “ideal”. The policies, rules, hedges about the laws, etc. have unintended consequences – all of them. The consequences outweigh the benefits whenever they do.

I really don’t mean that last answer to be flippant. Each one of those policies, rules, hedges, etc. will have different consequences for different people – and even for the same people in different circumstances, which means each of us ultimately has to answer that question for ourself. That’s both the beauty and the danger of pure Mormonism.

It will happen, if you wear a white shirt.

My question is, which “laws” do you think are necessary for becoming like Him? Do simply all LDS policies, rules, etc. fall into that camp? Are some laws more important to keep than others if we are to become like Him? If so, which ones?

I really do believe that ALL the church commandments are laws that help me and my family (as well as some other commandments from other religions I know of). WoW, tithing, temple, chastity, church callings, sacrament, fasting and offerings, missionary work, prayer/scripture study. Every single one of those, if grounded in the 2 great commandments of loving God and loving His children, they could all help perfect me.

However, the difference from how I feel today from how I felt 3-4 years ago, is that FAILURE to do all of those does NOT mean I’m a sinner by omission and not progressing towards perfection. I used to think that…I used to have guilt that I never measured up. You should read my journals…although I kept one off and on since my mission…almost every entry is about the things I need to do better (bad Heber…you can do better…there is still so much more I need to do…etc etc etc).

So, while I think ALL the commandments are helpful…they are only helpful if I’m doing them correctly. And in order to do them correctly, I have to prioritize and work on some today, with faith God will strengthen me more to work on more later. But no rush…eternity has time for me to pace myself.

The commandments I focus on this year:

1. Love my family – teach, support, say the words “love you”, communicate, share experiences and serve them;

2. Love my family some more;

3. Thank God every week for my many blessings.

That’s it. I tried to simplify my life. Tithing, WoW, temple, church attendance, callings and service…those will be there in my future when I’m ready…and I trust the Lord will let me know when I’m ready. Until then, I now have more peace He is happy with my focus on the 3 things I listed. This way, I can avoid what cwald referred to…the impediment to progression by wanting perfection now.

That was kind of the deal I made with Him…I promised I’d stay in the church, if those 3 things are enough for now.

So, in summary…I honestly believe all the commandments are helpful for me. But I won’t let every reference in a church lesson or conference talk cause me to have guilt I’m not doing it all. I take more responsibility to chart my course and choose my pace. I’m a very comfortable cafeteria mormon, in hopes of becoming closer to perfection in small, enjoyable portions.

It is very simple, and I believe this completely: All of them! We have to follow all the laws (practices, abilities and characteristics) that make God who that being is, if we want to be just like that being.

That part is easy, logical, scientific, rational and simple.

Oh wait, that creates the second question: What laws? The world has yet to figure that out exactly IMO. We won’t figure it out unless we try. There’s nothing wrong with using the great ideas from other people that already did a lot of trial and error. That is smart business. I am serious.

The ultimate answers as we get closer and closer though can only come from direct observation and relationship with God IMO. Those answers through personal revelation will often be at odds with what the world thinks they should be. And by world, I include everyone in the religious world as well.

I was once asked by someone what I thought the meaning of life was. I said that I didn’t think that there was a meaning (this is during my agnostic phase), but that which we make ourselves. I said that probably it was something along the lines of us being decent to one another. She gave me one of those “oh” looks and was probably expecting something more profound, but it’s not exactly that different than “love thy neighbor”. It’s one of the hardest things to do, particularly when the other person happens to be crapping on your head.

There is all the other stuff, the beauty of nature and music and so on, or even questions about the nature of reality, and don’t get me wrong, I love these too, but that’s mostly internal, and personal, navel gazing even. Humans are society and a reflection of the society they live in.

As for families, the Mormon idee fixe, they’re nothing without their members being decent to one another.

p.s. Cwald, yes, I have crossed the white shirt boundary. I got told off for it once.

Just a fwiw:

I wore a white shirt to work and brought my suit coat in the car today, because I am going straight from work to a meeting where I have been asked to wear white shirt, tie and coat as part of my current calling. (I wear a shirt and tie every day to work, but generally the shirt is not white.)

I don’t agree personally with the reasoning behind the request, but I honor it as a way to support the person who requested it.

That’s just the way I roll.

The ones that deal with internalizing love, including some that aren’t obvious at first glance. Probably not much else.

Yes, this is what I would say as well. I really believe that primarily our struggle in this life is an internal battle. Physical actions certainly have an effect on that battle, but they are not the focus. Ray, in this vein, what about some more tricky things like eternal marriage? Can one become “perfected” like God without being married?

I agree with you, others & Jesus that the greatest law is to love God & others AS ourselves. But it’s not always easy. It takes lots of practice & I think marriage & parenting are definetely good practice, but I don’t think it is the only ways to love. It seems there are countless ways to show love, but few stretch us like that. Like you wrote, struggles are internal. Overcoming baggage, pride, etc. is necessary to be able to fully love. “Love covereth a multitude of sins.”